Where does the prestige come from?

Author: Zhang Chuang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: [Excerpt:] In fact, there are levels and statuses between leaders and employees, but no distinction of superiority or inferiority. Leaders must never rashly utter words that harm others' self-esteem. When speaking with staff, tone is extremely important. The same statement, with the same intention, can hurt the other person's self-esteem if expressed too forcefully. If leaders frequently, intentionally or unintentionally, damage employees' self-esteem, it will inevitably lead to many negative effects. It will cause strong resistance and resentment among employees, which in turn will affect the company's business progress and even hinder the leader's own career advancement. Moreover, once a leader has hurt an employee's self-esteem, it is like water that has been spilled—it is difficult to recover. Restoring the original respectful relationship between the superior and subordinate becomes extremely challenging, and the employee will certainly not forget it for a long time. If leaders do not handle the situation properly, the knot in the employee's heart will only grow larger. Therefore, in such cases, leaders should not be too proud to say "I'm sorry." Respecting employees begins with protecting their self-esteem and valuing their opinions and ideas. Praise their strengths while offering specific suggestions, avoid absolute conclusions, and leave some room for both yourself and the employee. This way, communication can be achieved effectively. Joe Garagiola, known as one of the greatest salespeople in the world, sold 13,001 cars in 15 years and set a record of selling 1,425 cars in a single year, an achievement included in the Guinness World Records. His sales secret was to first respect the other party and give them enough self-esteem. Once, a middle-aged woman entered Joe Garagiola's showroom, saying she wanted to spend some time looking at cars. During their conversation, she told Joe Garagiola she wanted to buy a white Ford, just like the one her cousin drove. However, the salesperson at the opposite Ford dealership told her to come back in an hour, so she came here first. She also mentioned that it was her birthday, and the Ford car was the gift she wanted to give herself. "Happy birthday, Madam!" Joe Garagiola said as he invited her in to look around. After a brief explanation, he turned back to her and said, "Madam, you like white cars. Since you have time now, let me introduce our two-door sedan, which is also white." They were having a pleasant conversation when his secretary entered, bringing a dozen roses for the woman and respectfully saying, "Respected Madam, happy birthday!" Clearly, she was moved, and her eyes even filled with tears. She said, "It's been a long time since someone gave me a gift. The Ford salesperson must have seen I was driving an old car and thought I couldn't afford a new one. Just as I was about to look at the cars, he told me he had to go collect a payment, so I came here instead. Actually, I just wanted a white car, but since my cousin drives a Ford, I wanted one too. Now that I think about it, I don't have to buy a Ford." In the end, she bought a white Chevrolet from Joe Garagiola and wrote a cash check. In reality, Joe Garagiola never once said anything to discourage her from buying a Ford car. It was because she felt respected here and her self-esteem was satisfied that she abandoned her original plan and chose the car Joe recommended. The ancients said, "A man will die for his master." Although people are different, each with their own lifestyles, dietary habits, and ways of dressing, deep down, they share a common pursuit: to be respected and recognized by others. A person often feels their importance through the respect they receive from others, using others' evaluations to confirm their own value. The same principle applies to employees in a company. If employees feel their dignity and hard work are constantly understood and respected by their superiors, they will feel like owners, and their enthusiasm will continuously surge, creating endless creativity. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, the great thinker Confucius once advised Duke Ding of Lu, Ji Song, saying, "Rule your subjects with propriety." This means that only when leaders treat their subordinates with propriety can the subordinates be loyal and devoted to them. Only when leaders show respect to their subordinates can they fully mobilize their enthusiasm. As a leader, only by fully upholding employees' self-esteem can you successfully manage, direct, and assign various tasks to them. Otherwise, without regard for employees' self-esteem, management becomes impossible. III. Be a Leader with Dignity
Want others to treat you a certain way? Treat them that way yourself—this is a well-known principle of conduct. Only when you, as a supervisor, respect your employees can they better respect you, obey you, and cooperate with your work. Those who do not know how to respect others will eventually only provoke their dislike and hatred. You may have forgotten who you once hurt, but the person you hurt will never forget everything you imposed on them. From this simple truth, we can see how important it is to give people enough respect! However, in actual work, many supervisors rarely think about this. They often ruthlessly strip away their subordinates' dignity, hurt their self-esteem, and suppress their emotions, yet act arrogantly. They may scold an employee in front of others, find fault with them, pick on their flaws, or even resort to rough threats, rarely considering their self-esteem. In reality, if you calmly think for a minute or two, say a few considerate words, and show a bit more tolerance and respect to your employees, you can greatly reduce their harm and the situation will turn out very differently. Robert Bower, a chemical factory owner in Pennsylvania. Once, he went to observe his factory and happened to see a few workers smoking near the machines in the workshop, even though smoking was strictly prohibited here. If you were Bower, what would you do? Point at them and shout, "If you don't want to work, get out!" But Bower would never do that—he couldn't be a great leader of a company if he did. Instead, he walked over to them, handed them a few cigarettes, and said, "Gentlemen, if you could go outside to smoke these cigarettes, I would be truly grateful." How would the employees think? They immediately realized they had violated the factory's rules. So, one by one, they extinguished their cigarettes, and at the same time, they developed respect and goodwill for their leader. All truly great people are skilled at maintaining others' self-esteem. As a leader, to respect your employees is to respect yourself, and it earns you respect as well. If you forget to respect your employees, they may become demotivated or even resort to "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," resisting your opinions and work. Without the support and cooperation of your employees, how can a "lonely commander" fight? Randomly ordering your subordinates around will only make them feel humiliated, leading to resistance against their leader. If employees always hold a negative and resistant attitude toward their leader, they will not be able to devote 100% of their energy to the tasks assigned by their leader. Respect is a two-way street. As a leader, whether for business or personal reasons, whether toward others or yourself, please remember the word "respect." IV. Respect Employees from the Small Things
To motivate employees, respect is a fundamental part of practical work. Respect makes employees feel important and gives them a sense of satisfaction, so respecting employees is something leaders must consistently uphold. First, you must set a polite tone